Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a method for detecting arcing and related breakage events within processing chambers.
Description of the Related Art
In semiconductor manufacturing, the production processing equipment used must be controlled such that its variables stay within certain operational limits. These limits can be very narrow and typically vary throughout the different steps, stages or phases of the process. Failure to remain within these operational limits during processing can easily cause the loss of, or damage to, the device and/or wafer being processed.
In some cases, the substrate being processed may suffer a breakage during processing. In other cases, a severe arc or multiple arcs may occur. In these cases, the substrate being processed has to be discarded, resulting in loss of production and costly downtime, and may even affect later-processed substrates if not properly detected. For example, a small piece of the substrate may be left behind in the chamber without being detected, resulting in every substrate that was processed with the small piece of the substrate in the chamber having to be discarded as well.